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Artistic Memorials
Jeff Pettit
By
Sue LaPointe |
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The
accident landed him out of work for seven months,
but it gave him time to consider other business options.
“It
was a big step, but I was prepared for it, and I had
a gut feeling it was going to work,” said Jeff.
“Plus, I had a back-up plan to work at Home
Depot if I needed the extra money, but I never had
to do that.”
Growing up in Lake Township, Jeff Pettit experienced
a fun-loving childhood. Riding dirt bikes and snowmobiles,
playing baseball, and camping filled his days. Jeff
enjoyed his youth in Lake Township so much that he
remains there today with his wife, raising their two
children together.
The rural, small-town feel of Lake Township has also
helped Jeff grow his business, Artistic Memorials,
a full service monument company in Perrysburg. “In
Lake Township everyone knows everyone,” laughed
Jeff. “A lot of people know me, and they know
what I do and how I do things, so my reputation speaks
for itself.”
Although Artistic Memorials is only six years old,
Jeff’s journey to starting his own company was
rich with experience and prepared him for a successful
first business venture.“I’ve always been
a good manager of my money, and I think that came
from my mom and dad,” said Jeff. “I can
remember when we were young, my siblings would come
to me for money after my parents had told them ‘no.’”
Jeff had always worked since he was a teenager, mowing
neighbor’s yards, working at a neighborhood
apple orchard and then at a lawnmower shop. Soon after
he graduated from high school, Jeff began working
for a local monument business. He enjoyed the work
and soon began to envision taking on a different role
within the company. “My goal was to buy that
existing business, but things kept changing within
the business, so it never worked out,” explained
Jeff. “The owner was originally going to sell
in five years, and then in five more years, and so
on, and then before I knew it I had been there 15
years.”
When Jeff had been at his job for 15 years, a tragic
accident happened. He was injured in an accident on
the job when a large sign fell on him, breaking his
leg and resulting in a compound fracture. The accident
landed him out of work for seven months, but it gave
him time to consider other business options. “I
decided I could start a monument business on my own,”
said Jeff. “I was the first employee they ever
hired, so I was the shop foreman, and I handled sales
when the owner was out of town, so I knew the business
in and out.”
Jeff’s interest in starting his own business
led him to take a course at Penta County Adult Education
called Adventures in Business Ownership. According
to Jeff, this course was the catalyst for putting
together his business plan and making things happen.
“I took the business course while I was home
healing from the injury, and it was so helpful,”
said Jeff. “They brought in experts on accounting
to tell you what you needed to do and attorneys to
tell you how to set up your business. I also created
my own business plan.”
For Jeff, the course did exactly what the instructor
said it would do.
“The instructor told us, typically, after someone
takes the class, you will start your business within
three to five years. That was in 1999, and I started
my business in 2002,” laughed Jeff.
After the class, Jeff started immediately looking
for buildings to hold his future business. Finally,
after one opportunity fell through, the right situation
revealed itself. Jeff then had to prepare himself
to let go of the perks of his job with the previous
monument company, which included a company vehicle
and full health insurance. “It was a big step,
but I was prepared for it, and I had a gut feeling
it was going to work,” said Jeff. “Plus,
I had a back-up plan to work at Home Depot if I needed
the extra money, but I never had to do that.”
Jeff explained that he was humbled by how smoothly
things went as he got his business off the ground.
He was able to purchase a big pole barn, renovating
it to become part office and part monument shop. “You
hear so many horror stories about working with banks
and getting everything started, and I think having
18 years experience with my former employer in the
monument industry helped me to know what not to do
and what worked well.”
Although Jeff admits that 2007 was an off year for
his business, he has had significant growth over the
six years since he opened the doors to Artistic Memorials.
The business deals with approximately 80% monuments
and 20% a variety of signage for businesses as well
as address blocks, boulders, and garden art.
Jeff enjoys his craft and continues to develop his
skills, recently becoming a certified memorialist—one
of only 130 in the United States and Canada. The certification
required a rigorous four-hour testing, and he will
continue to maintain the certification through various
activities.
Although having a profitable business and being an
expert in one’s craft are all great achievements,
Jeff explained that it is his love for the business
that makes all the difference.“There is a saying
that says if you find what you love to do, it’s
not really work, and that’s how I look at this
job,” said Jeff. “So many things in our
society are throw-away, but the things I create will
last forever. There are not many things that people
make or buy that you can say that about.”
ARTISTIC MEMORIALS, LTD
Jeff Pettit,CM
12551 Jefferson Street
Perrysburg, Ohio 43551
Phone: 419-873-0433
Website: www.artisticmemorials.net
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